Sustainability certification schemes

A number of local, national or international certification schemes promote sustainability. Here you can read what criteria Vinmonopolet uses in our assessment of the certifications.

Vinmonopolet labels products that have an element of sustainability, whether on the basis of ethical production or in relation to climate and environment. In collaboration with the other Nordic monopolies in Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Island, Vinmonopolet assesses the certifications in our industry annually against a common set of requirements.

These certification schemes are the basis for four of our five sustainability labels as of January 1st 2025.

Learn more aboutOur sustainability labels

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CertificationAreaSustainability labels
Organic farming (EU)InternationalOrganic
Organic farming (outside EU) (pdf)InternationalOrganic
BiodyvinInternationalOrganic, Biodynamic
Respekt BiodynOrganic, Biodynamic
BioGro Organic StandardNew ZealandOrganic
Bodegas de ArgentinaArgentinaEnvironmentally certified production
Certified California Sustainable Vineyard and Winery (CCSW)California, USAEnvironmentally certified production
Certified Sustainable Wines of Chile ChileEnvironmentally certified production
Demeter Biodynamic Certification (International)InternationalOrganic, Biodynamic
Demeter Biodynamic Certification (USA)USAOrganic, Biodynamic
EcoStep-WeinGermanyEnvironmentally certified production
Equalitas Sustainable WineItaly, SpainEnvironmentally certified production
Fair'n'GreenFrance, Austria, ItalyEnvironmentally certified production
Fair for lifeInternationalEnvironmentally certified production, Certified ethical production
Fairtrade - Standard for Hired LabourInternationalEnvironmentally certified production, Certified ethical production
FairChoiceInternationalEnvironmentally certified production
Freshcare Australian Wine Industry Standard of Sustainable Practice – ViticultureAustraliaEnvironmentally certified production
Integrated Production of Wine South AfricaSouth-AfricaEnvironmentally certified production
KravSwedenEnvironmentally certified production, Organic
Low Input Viticulture & Enology, Inc (LIVE)Oregon, Washington og Idaho, USAEnvironmentally certified production
Napa Green Winery Certified / Napa Green Vineyard CertifiedNapa valley, USAEnvironmentally certified production
Regenerative Viticulture Alliance InternationalEnvironmentally certified production
Sistema Qualità Nazionale di Produzione Integrata (SQNPI)ItalyEnvironmentally certified production
Sustainability in Sicilian Viticulture (SOSTAIN)SicilyEnvironmentally certified production
Sustainability in Practice Certified (SIP) USAEnvironmentally certified production
Sustainable AustriaAustriaEnvironmentally certified production
Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ)New ZealandEnvironmentally certified production
Sustainable Wineries for Climate ProtectionSpainEnvironmentally certified production
Sustainable Wines of Great BritainGreat BritainEnvironmentally certified production
TerraVitisFranceEnvironmentally certified production
The National Reference of Sustainability Certification in the Wine SectorPortugalEnvironmentally certified production
Vignerons en Développement Durable (VDD)FranceEnvironmentally certified production
Viva "Sustainability and Culture"ItalyEnvironmentally certified production
Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP)PortugalEnvironmentally certified production

The process and timeline of our assessment

Which certifications should be included?

Every year in April, the Nordic monopolies collect input to see which certifications to assess or reassess. This means that slightly different certification schemes are included each year. 

Information gathering

The certification schemes are then sent a survey with 27 questions divided into four categories:

  1. Governance and quality
  2. Social aspects
  3. Environmental growing/farming
  4. Environmental production

Assessment

An external third party reviews the responses and gives the certification schemes a score based on given criteria:

  • Not evident
  • Basic
  • Intermediate
  • Comprehensive

The result of the assessment is published each year in November or December and are valid from January 1st in the following year.

Suggestions for new certifications

If you have suggestions for new certifications that should be included in the assessment, please send an e-mail to [email protected]with your name and information about the certification. We suggest that you include the following information:

  • Which product groups does the certification cover? (e.g. wine, spirits, Cognac)
  • What is the scope of the certification? (e.g. geographical areas, approximate number of products)
  • Why should we assess this certification scheme now?

Details about environmentally certified production

Products that are environmentally certified are marked with Vinmonopolet's symbol for environmentally certified production in our stores.

The criteria for environmentally certified production as of May 1st, 2024 is:

  1. The certification must have been included in the Nordic certification assessment.
  2. The certification has a minimum of “basic” evaluation in “cultivation”, “production” and “governance”. This requirement is considered a minimum to be in line with current greenwashing requirements.
  3. The certification must be clearly stated on the product label.
  4. The certification must be productrelated.
  5. All certifications that meet the criteria (regardless of geographic scope or prevalence) will be included.